New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Any citizen can inform the administration if a child has lost both parents and a surviving parent to the COVID-19 pandemic and is eligible for support under the PM CARES for Children Scheme though its portal, the government said on Monday.

The objective of the scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children in a sustained manner, and enable their well-being through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self-sufficient existence with financial support on reaching 23 years of age.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development shall be the nodal ministry for execution of the scheme at the central level. The Department of the State/UT government dealing with the juvenile justice setup in the state shall be the nodal agency at state level.

The district magistrates shall be the nodal authority at the district level for execution of the scheme.

"The scheme is accessible through an online portal i.e. https://pmcaresforchildren.in. The portal has been introduced to all the States and UTs on 15.07.21 and the States/UTs have been asked to identify and register the eligible children on the portal. Any citizen can inform the administration regarding a child eligible for support under this scheme through the portal," the Women and Child Development Ministry said in a statement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)